Robert L. Fortson

Robert serves as a senior vice president in McGuireWoods Consulting's state government relations group and also practices law with McGuireWoods LLP. He has experience in education, healthcare, legislative and regulatory law, and labor and employment matters. His practice focuses on advising local and state authorized charter schools on issues such as board governance, charter applications and renewals, employment issues, and contract negotiations with management companies and other vendors. He also represents school board members and concerned citizens in matters related to board governance and school system accreditation.

Before joining McGuireWoods Consulting, he served as of counsel at Georgia360 Public Affairs and as a litigation and trial attorney with Turner Bachman & Garrett. He has also served in various roles in and related to federal, state and local government, including stints in the legal counsel's office at the U.S. Department of Education and the Georgia Municipal Association, and a two-year clerkship for U.S. District Court Judge Thomas W. Thrash. Rob received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law and was inducted into the Order of the Coif.

A former teacher and coach in the Baltimore City School System and Teach For America alumnus, Rob stays involved with Teach For America and several other educational organizations. He and his wife, Meeghan, are both Atlanta natives and reside in East Atlanta with their son.

Representation of intervening charter school seeking authorization to operation in school district governed by 1960’s desegregation order. United States v. Peach County School District et al., 69-CV-2991, M.D.Ga (2015)

Obtained injunction for charter school against municipality refusing to issue certificate of occupancy. Utopian Academy for the Arts v. City of Riverdale and Wood; 2014CV3393, Clayton County Superior Court (2014)

Representation of Warren County, GA citizens in petition before administrative law judge, trial court and Georgia Supreme Court seeking removal of local board of education members for jeopardizing school system accreditation. Roberts et al. v. Governor Deal et al., 290 Ga. 705 (2012).